pneumonia

[Pixie]

i am not sure if this has been posted elsewhere, but here it is today. i am greatly concerned about this one because i work so closely with money customers, mainly customers who have been traveling, often from other countries. what kinds of things would help get rid of pneumonia? is pneumonia related to the flu? if pneumonia is "raging in the US" like the following article sais, why is it that i have not heard of it before? i read the paper everyday, and i look for news, so its not like i have been hiding under a rock. ~sigh~i am worried for mykids going back to school, i am worried about going to work, even though i spand half my day sterilizing things, i wash every 5 minutes,(or so it seems) i just dont want to bring it home for my family.

 

 

anyways, here is the link to the article: Superbug emerges nationwide

 

 

and here is the article itself incase it decides not to show up, or they move it.

 

Superbug emerges nationwide

Virulent, drug-resistant pathogen is raging in U.S., starting to entrench itself in Canada

Article Tools

 

A superbug that causes infections from large, boil-like lesions to hemorrhagic pneumonia and, in rare cases, "flesh-eating" disease is poised to "emerge in force" across Canada, a new report warns.

 

While the prospect of a flu pandemic has governments scrambling to develop emergency plans, an epidemic of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or CA-MRSA, is already raging in the U.S. and beginning to entrench itself here, infectious disease experts report today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

 

In the U.S., clusters have been reported in groups from NFL players to toddlers in daycare.

 

In Canada, outbreaks have occurred in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Infections are being reported in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.

 

Wih the Calgary Health Region seeing between 40 and 70 cases per month, doctors are now investigating the possible transmission of the community-acquired staph strain among a small group of Calgary patients, which would be one of the first Canadian reports.

 

"Not a day goes by where I'm in clinic that I'm not pulling out a scalpel to drain one of these things," says Dr. John Conly, co-author of the report and an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of Calgary.

 

"We're seeing far too many of them."

 

The organism is an "old foe with new fangs," a pathogen that is virulent, drug-resistant and has an uncanny ability to "disseminate at large," according to the CMAJ report. So far, its prevalence is thought to be low but rising in most parts of the country.

 

"Front-line physicians need to be aware of the increasing prevalence and the potential severity of CA-MRSA infection," the researchers write. The germ killed a healthy 30-year-old Calgary man and a three-month-old baby in Toronto in 2005. Both died of necrotizing pneumonia, or lung abscesses.

 

The infection begins with what looks like a spider bite, a red, very tender area that rises up and comes to a head just like a small boil. If not treated promptly, the lesions can develop into large, spreading abscesses in the soft tissues that can grown to the size of a baseball "or even a grapefruit in some settings," Conly said in an interview.

 

People develop fever, malaise and flu-like symptoms. In some cases, MRSA can cause hemorrhagic pneumonia, or bleeding in the lungs. "For some reason, there are people who are predisposed to develop what looks like standard pneumonia and very quickly they begin to cough up blood," Conly said.

 

Once confined to hospital patients, the staph infection is now occurring in healthy people. The community strain "doesn't carry as much genetic baggage" as the hospital strain and is sensitive to other antibiotics, Conly says.

 

"But it seems to have a propensity to cause very large abscesses in the soft tissues with copious drainage, and seems to spread much more readily than the hospital strain has done."

 

It's also moving out of the traditional risk groups, such as intravenous drug users, the homeless, First Nations, people infected with HIV and the military.

 

 

Superbug emerges nationwide

Virulent, drug-resistant pathogen is raging in U.S., starting to entrench itself in Canada

 

The staph infection is spread via physical contact, through open cuts and scrapes, poor hygiene and sharing personal items, such as soap, towels, creams, razors, equipment and clothes.

 

Athletes are particularly prone: It has affected college and high-school-aged football players, wrestlers and rugby players. A Miami Dolphin football player lost a season because of a severe MRSA infection.

 

New Canadian guidelines to control MRSA recommend regular hand washing, covering any draining skin lesion and not sharing potentially contaminated personal articles. Doctors are being urged to report suspected outbreak to public health authorities and to use limit the use of antibiotics, because their over-use drives resistance.

 

 

[HSmom]

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is not anything new. We all carry staphylcoccus aureus on our skin and in our noses. It's a nice normal bacteria. Among us, a small percentage carry the methicillin-resistant strain. I'm sorry I cannot remember the percentage.

 

The methicillin resistant strain is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin, but it is usually susceptible to other antibiotics.

 

People who do carry MRSA tend to get a lot of skin infections. An ingrown hair or a shaving nick will quickly turn into a large (over 1 inch) painful boil that requires a doctor to cut and drain it. They usually then treat it with bacitracin ointment.

 

If a person is hospitalized and is known to carry MRSA (it's probably not even making them sick), they will be kept in isolation. They must stay in their room and all healthcare workers, housekeepers, etc will wear a long gown and gloves when in their room.

 

Where MRSA becomes a problem is on the RARE occasion that in infects someone in the lungs (pneumonia) or elsewhere in the body, like a wound or within a joint. Again, these infections do occur, but they are rare. There are other IV antibiotics that can be used to treat them. The fear is that MRSA will mutate again and become resistant to more antibiotics. This has not yet happened.

 

Pneumonia and influenza can be related. Pneumonia is a fairly non-specific term that usually means infection in the lungs. Influenza is a virus that usually invades the lungs. So a person with influenza may develop pneumonia. And a person can have pneumonia without having influenza.

 

There are several types of pneumonia: bacterial, viral, aspiration (from inhaling vomit usually), and chemical (usually from chemical exposure, but sometime lumped in with aspiration pneumonia).

 

As far as protecting yourself: You are not at a whole lot higher risk because you work with the public.

 

Guessing that maybe you are a cashier or a bank teller, here is what you should do: DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE while working. Wash your hands before and after your break. Wash your hands before and after smoking. If you need a water bottle while working, use a closed top bottle with a straw. Don't touch the straw with your hands. Wash the bottle every night.

 

If you have greater physical exposure, such as a daycare worker who holds or hugs children, it's not a bad idea to change clothes as soon as you get home.

 

HTH and LMK if I need to clarify anything.

[Pixie]

i wonder why the newspaper blew it so out of proportion.

 

[Cat]

Somebody probably thought it would sell more papers. Makes them sound like they're "cutting edge".

 

Or somebody released it as news because they're poised to ask for funding for research/cures.

 

Or it was a slow news day.

 

Take yer pick...

[HSmom]

Cuz it is scary, and scary sells papers.

 

Cat's right handwashing is important. And not just after using the bathroom. Wash before eating, smoking, etc.

[Pixie]

i though of it as trying to sell more papers, or something liek that, but it was just a little article in section b, tucked in a corner...and a similar article was in todays paper, alsying that this disease is running rampant in the us and canada saying how healthy people are dieing all over the place...must have been a slow news day. heh heh

[Pixie]

everyday since i have posted this, there has been an article about this "horrible pnumonia raging through north america" fankly i am confused, you say it is harmless, and only affects people in rare circumstances. the paper goes on and on and on every day about this horrible disease that is wiping out healthy people left right and centre, and i am haing a hard time finding any more information about it on the internet. if there is no problem, why all the hullabaloo?

[HSmom]

I didn't say it's harmless. I said it's not new and it's not of much concern to most people.

 

It's been ten days... has your paper literally printed something daily? Does your paper have a website that you would feel comfortable sharing? (I'm secretive about my location & you might be to.)

[Pixie]

that's ok. my newspaper is the province. http://www.canada.com/theprovince/index.html

 

every day that i have read the paper, there has been warnings about this "superbug" of course, i dont read it on my days off, as i do not have access to free newspapers at home like i do at work.

[HSmom]

Sorry for the delay in replying. I felt the need to ponder this for a few days, but I still don't know what to tell you.

 

The only thing I'm thinking is that while MRSA is old news here in the US, maybe it's new in Canada. But I kind of doubt that.

 

I think if there was a problem of pandemic proportions, I'd be hearing about it at work. And I'm not.

 

As for it infecting healthy people, the orignal article stated

Quote:

The staph infection is spread via physical contact, through open cuts and scrapes, poor hygiene and sharing personal items, such as soap, towels, creams, razors, equipment and clothes.

Picture a bunch of jocks in a locker room. Ewww.

[Pixie]

ewww! lol

 

well, thanks for helping me put this in perspective. it just goes to show that media can't be relied upon. ~sigh~ sad, isn't it?